Undefeated strawweight rising star Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres faces one of her toughest tests to date on December 12th at UFC 194: “Aldo vs McGregor” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Torres is set to battle former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson.

UFC officials announced the bout today. Torres has won back-to-back fights inside the Octagon since her stint on The Ultimate Fighter 20 this past year. Waterson kicked off her UFC career with a dominant third-round submission victory over Angela “Your Majesty” Magana at the TUF 21 Finale in July.

Torres (6-0-0) was viewed by many as a favourite to win TUF 20, but her run on the show ultimately came to an end in the quarterfinal round when she was defeated by eventual winner Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza. Her official UFC debut went much more smoothly, and Torres cruised to an easy Unanimous Decision win over Magana at the TUF 20 Finale. Her most recent fight against fellow TUF 20 alum Angela “Overkill” Hill ended in a lacklustre Unanimous Decision victory at UFC 188, and Torres now hopes for a better showing when she takes on Waterson later this year.

Waterson (13-4-0) became the second Invicta FC Atomweight Champion in April 2013 when she submitted the heavily-favoured Jessica Penne with a fourth-round armbar. She retained her title in September 2014 when she stopped former Valkyrie champion Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada at Invicta FC 8. In December, Waterson was upset by Brazilian standout Hérica Tibúrcio, but the title loss did not deter UFC officials from signing Waterson earlier this year. She submitted Magana on July 12th and now looks to take a big step towards UFC title contention by handing Torres her first defeat.

UFC 194: “Aldo vs McGregor” takes place on December 12th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Featherweight Championship bout between José “Scarface” Aldo and “The Notorious” Conor McGregor.

(Photo Credit: UFC)